A New Dawn
by stuck4aname
Summary: My own take on where Primeval will/should go in series five, trying to stay as true to the tone of the show as possible. Individual chapter summaries inside.
1. Reflections

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Primeval.

**Chapter summary:** As Lester tries to deal with the aftermath of the chaos left behind by Ethan, Matt must find a way to deal with everything on his plate - including Emily's departure. Danny searches for his brother, while Philip tries to quell Connor's anxieties.

**Notes:** I've tried to stay as true to the tone of the show as possible, but this chapter contains a little more angst than the series usually does. Also, some of the language used is slightly more coarse than in canon, but that's a rare occurrence and not hugely offensive.

* * *

><p>Jess could feel Lester's eyes on her as she walked slowly back towards her desk and sat down. She stared at the CCTV feed, at the corridor where only moments before, Becker had been lying, unmoving. Clicking the camera feed off the screen, she tried to shake the image from her mind.<p>

She had seen Becker like that once before, but Matt and Connor had been there with him and somehow that had helped, just a little bit. But today, he had been lying there alone and helpless. She had been the first one to see him. She had called the medics and then she had been at his side. She didn't remember making the conscious decision to go to him. Her legs had just moved and before she could stop herself, she was crouched next to him.

It had felt like an age, waiting for the medics to arrive. She had tried to find a pulse, but she hadn't felt anything, and for the briefest of moments she had been angry. Angry at Ethan for doing this. At the medics for taking so long. At Becker for letting himself be beaten so easily.

The medics had come racing around the corner, but it had still all been too slow for Jess. As they had rushed around, she had heard Lester's voice behind her, and then she had felt his hands pulling her away from Becker. She hadn't turned to look at him. She had kept her eyes on Becker, watching him be carried away to the medical centre, and then she had just walked. Away from Lester, away from that corridor, back to her desk, where everything felt just a tiny bit more normal.

As she tried to busy herself with work, she was fully aware that Lester was standing behind her. She ignored him.

"Do you actually have any work to do, Jess, or are you just going to keep pretending I'm not here?" he said eventually.

She turned to look at him. She couldn't quite make sense of the expression he was wearing. "Sorry," she said. "Was there something you needed?"

"Can I see you in my office, please?"

Jess nodded and made her way shakily to Lester's office. A thousand thoughts were whirling around in her head. Most of them didn't even make sense. One of them kept pushing itself to the forefront of her mind: _Becker's dead. Becker's dead. Becker's dead._

Lester took his seat and Jess sat down too, grateful to take the weight off her legs. She wasn't sure they were going to last much longer. Lester leaned forward, and Jess broke their eye contact, choosing instead to scrutinize Lester's stapler. She could almost hear him searching for the words to tell her: _Becker's dead._

"The medics are doing everything they can," he said eventually.

"You mean he's still alive? Is he gonna be okay?" Her voice was much quieter than she had expected it to be.

"He's weak," answered Lester, shuffling some papers that lay on his desk.

"Is he going to be all right?" Jess asked again, frustration creeping into her voice. All she wanted was a straight answer. A positive answer.

Lester looked her in the eye. "We don't know, Jess."

"Right. Okay." She cleared her throat and stood up. "If you'll excuse me, I have some work to do."

"Actually, Jess, no. I don't excuse you." Lester indicated for her to sit down again, but she stayed standing. All she needed to do was keep herself occupied. If her mind was on her work, she would have no time to worry about Becker.

Lester sighed. "You're clearly in shock, Jess. You should take the rest of the day off."

Jess shook her head. "I'm fine. Honestly. I'd rather keep working."

There was a silence as Lester studied Jess' face. She managed to give him half a smile. She knew it wasn't enough to convince him that she was all right, but he seemed to understand what she was saying. He nodded.

"All right. If you'd rather keep working…." He shuffled another pile of papers on his desk and looked up at Jess again. "Close the door on your way out."

Jess left in silence and headed straight for the ladies' toilets. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. There were tear tracks on her face, but she didn't remember crying. She turned on the tap and splashed her face with water, the ice cold as refreshing as it was punishing.

Collected and composed, she stepped back into the corridor. A left turn would take her to the medical wing. Right would lead her back to her desk.

She wasn't sure if she was ready to see Becker again. Not if he was still unconscious. Seeing him like that would only upset her even more, that much she knew. But the thought of him lying there on his own made her stomach twist itself into knots.

She took a deep breath and turned left.

* * *

><p>As his surroundings changed from breeze-block walls to a rocky landscape, Danny sighed. He thought he had left this place behind for good. He thought he had made it home. He <em>had<em> made it home, and it had felt so incredible to see his friends again – even Lester – but he should have known that where the ARC was concerned, things were never that simple.

He glanced behind him. The anomaly was gone. There was every chance he wouldn't make it back again. Right now, though, making it back wasn't the issue. He had to find Patrick.

There was a part of Danny - a much larger part than he was comfortable with - that wished that Patrick hadn't come back. That he was still out there somewhere…some_when_. Still the lost, innocent kid that Danny had been searching for all those years.

_Innocent._ A bitter laugh escaped Danny. Patrick wasn't innocent, not any more. He was a killer. A murderer.

No. _Ethan_ was a killer. Not Patrick. This Ethan character had taken over Patrick's mind and locked him away, but that innocent kid was still in there, still fighting to get out, screaming to make himself heard over that other man. That brutal, heartless bastard who kept drowning out the only remaining part of him that was truly human.

_"I can't risk him going through to another human time."_ That's what Danny had told Matt. And it was true enough. Ethan was dangerous. He was a threat to everyone. But Danny's concern wasn't protecting everyone. It was protecting Patrick.

He only hoped he wasn't too late.

* * *

><p>Matt stared at the endless stream of traffic in front of him and sighed as he turned off the engine. He was definitely going to be here for a while. He needed to get back to the ARC, but if he was honest, he was grateful for the chance to think. And there was so much to think about.<p>

According to Danny, Philip was somehow connected to Helen Cutter. Matt had read all the mission reports involving Helen Cutter, and to say they painted her in a negative light would be a gross understatement. She had created an army of clones, blown up the ARC, shot her own husband and tried to stop the evolution of the human race before it had even started. And now it seemed even being dead wasn't going to stop her causing trouble.

Any ARC worker being connected to Helen Cutter was dangerous enough, but Philip…he had access to anything and everything. Even if he wasn't the one Matt was looking for, he had to be stopped. And as much as Matt hated to admit it, he couldn't stop Philip alone. He had to tell someone what Danny had told him, but if Philip was connected to Helen Cutter, others might be too. There was nothing to say Philip wasn't working with someone else; someone the whole team trusted – Abby, Jess, Connor…

Connor.

In Witchfield, Connor had told Matt he was working with Philip. He had said it was classified. And if top secret, highly confidential work wasn't a clear signpost to guilt, Matt didn't know what was.

Sighing again, he closed his eyes. There was a moment of blissful darkness before Emily's face formed in his mind. Tears rolling down her cheeks, she drifted further and further away until she was gone, and there was nothing left but a bright light. Within seconds, the light was gone too, and the darkness was back, drowning him, tormenting him.

When he opened his eyes again, the sea of brake lights that greeted him suddenly seemed much more inviting.

* * *

><p>"Drink?" Philip offered, pouring himself a whisky.<p>

"No. Thank you." Connor swallowed, trying to push away the lump in his throat. He didn't quite know how to feel. Any other day, he would have been drowned in disbelief – he was, after all, in Philip Burton's house, sat on Philip Burton's sofa – but right now he couldn't find it in himself to care all that much.

He could hear Philip talking in the background. He was saying something about good quality whisky, but his voice was blurry and muffled under the noise in Connor's own head.

Working at the ARC had given Connor more than his fair share of shocks. The mere existence of the anomalies, for one. Something the whole team now took for granted was something that, only a few years ago, had baffled everyone, even Professor Cutter. But over the years, through long days and late nights of research and calculations and exploration, through many battles and too many losses, the team had come to realise that the anomalies weren't just mysterious. They were deadly.

But the research Connor had done today and the conclusions he had drawn had shocked him – _scared him_ – more than anything he had encountered in the past five years.

"Now," said Philip, taking a seat next to Connor. "Talk me through this again. Thousands of anomalies, you say."

Connor nodded. "Everywhere. Past, present and future." His voice was shaky. "Eventually they'll cover the entire planet. There's no knowing what might happen. Creatures could go through, from the future into the past, from the Jurassic to the Cretaceous. It could completely change the course of evolution."

"Calm down, Connor," said Philip, pushing a whisky into his hands.

"We need to stop it," Connor replied, ignoring the drink. "We need to find a way to – to stall the anomalies, or something. Anything."

"Of course. How soon is this going to happen?"

"I don't know. But soon, definitely soon."

"Give me an estimate."

"We've got maybe six months before it gets out of control," said Connor. "That's if we're _really_ lucky."

Philip nodded. Connor was amazed that he was managing to keep so calm. But then, if anyone could sort this mess out, it was Philip Burton. The man was a genius, after all.

"I thought…" Philip started, trailing off.

"You thought…?" Connor invited him to finish the thought out loud.

Philip looked up suddenly, as though he had only just become aware of Connor's presence. He smiled.

"I think it's time I told you exactly what it is we're working towards, Connor," he said.

"I thought we were just researching the anomalies. You know, to find out why they're happening."

Philip shook his head. "We're not bothered with why they're happening. We're more interested in what they can do." He leaned forward slightly. "I believe, if we're able to harness the energy created by the anomalies, we could discover a whole new power source. No more burning fossil fuels. No more oil tycoons monopolizing the fuel market. Connor, this is a chance for a brand new chapter in humanity. A new dawn."

"A new dawn…" echoed Connor. He had to admit, the concept sounded appealing. Realistic, however, was another matter entirely. "But what happens when the anomalies multiply?" he asked, as his concern, having momentarily faded, returned.

"More anomalies mean more energy," Philip said simply, before placing his glass on the coffee table and standing up.

"But we need to do something to stop it!" Connor found himself standing up and raising his voice slightly. "It'll get too much for us to handle!"

Philip placed his hands on Connor's shoulders. "Calm down. It won't reach that point." He paused. "You trust me, don't you, Connor?"

Connor nodded. "Yeah. Of course."

"Good. Now, listen. My driver will take you back to the ARC. I want you to stop worrying about the anomalies, okay? Just leave it with me."

Connor nodded again. "Okay." He felt uneasy, but he had every confidence that Philip knew what he was doing.

"You haven't told anyone else about this, I presume?" asked Philip as he showed Connor to the door.

"No. No one."

"Good. Let's keep it that way. Just for now." He opened the door, and Connor could do nothing but nod yet again as he stepped outside. Even the attractive prospect of a 'new dawn' did nothing to extinguish his anxiety, but Connor knew that Philip's were capable hands. He knew Philip would handle the situation, and he trusted him completely.

* * *

><p>Matt flung the door to Lester's office open, letting it slam shut behind him. The way Lester almost fell out of his chair at the rather abrupt entrance would normally have been a great source of amusement, but in Matt's current agitated state, it didn't elicit even the smallest of smirks.<p>

"Can I…help you?" said Lester, as the expression of utter astonishment slowly faded back to the poker face Matt knew so well.

Matt suddenly found he was lost for words. He didn't know the answer to that question. In fact, as he had slowly come to realize during the drive back, he didn't know much at all. He didn't know who he was supposed to be looking for. He didn't even know what he was supposed to be stopping, much less how to stop it. He didn't know if what Danny had told him was true, and if it was, he didn't know what Philip was up to. Or the nature of his connection with Helen Cutter. He didn't know if Connor knew what Philip was doing, or if he was just a marionette. He wasn't sure if Emily had really wanted to go back. And what was going on in Ethan's head was anyone's guess.

And perhaps the most unsettling thing was that he didn't know who he could trust.

"Matt?" Lester's voice rang through the air. "What's going on?"

"Danny's gone," said Matt, sitting down opposite Lester. "Ethan – Patrick – he went through the Pliocene anomaly in the prison, and Danny went after him."

"Fantastic," said Lester, rolling his eyes. "I told you we should have let MI-5 deal with him."

"Emily's gone, too," he continued, ignoring Lester's comment. "Back to the Victorian era." Matt was grateful that Lester didn't say anything to that. He didn't particularly want to talk about Emily. Or anything else, for that matter.

He looked through the glass walls of the office, only half listening as Lester informed him that Becker was in the medical wing, and that in light of this, certain team members should be handled with extra care.

"Jess isn't a kid," said Matt, not needing to clarify exactly what Lester meant. "She'll be fine. And I'm sure she wouldn't appreciate being patronized."

Lester opened his mouth to reply, but a knock at the door cut him off. A uniformed soldier entered.

"This is Sergeant Willis," said Lester. "He'll be acting as Head of Security while Captain Becker is incapacitated. Willis is Becker's second in command, a competent soldier."

Matt nodded an acknowledgement. Despite everything, he found himself smirking slightly at Lester's obvious lack of enthusiasm – not that he could be blamed. Becker was an excellent soldier, but his men left plenty to be desired. 'Competent' was all they would ever amount to, and even that might be pushing it. To be frank, Willis was the best of a bad lot.

With another quick glance into the main operations room, Matt saw Connor enter and then turn into a corridor. He quickly excused himself from Lester's office and followed Connor just in time to see him disappear into a laboratory, closing the door behind him.

Matt swore under his breath as he turned back and walked away. At least now he knew where Connor was working, but there was still so much more to figure out. But there had been too many distractions over the past few months, too many red herrings. Time was running out.


	2. A Lot To Handle

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Primeval, or any of its characters.

**Chapter summary: **Abby is on the receiving end of some life-changing news, but she's not the only one with a problem to deal with. Danny tries to get through to his brother, while Connor continues his research into the anomalies.

**Notes:** Thanks so much for all your reviews on the last chapter; I really appreciate them.

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><p>Abby stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, focusing only on the sound of the ticking clock, counting the seconds with it.<p>

Ten. Twenty. Thirty.

_Halfway there._

Forty. Fifty.

She was sure time was slowing down. A part of her wanted that to be the case. Then she would never have to look. She would never have to find out. But at the same time, the waiting was almost painful.

Sixty.

She didn't look straight away. It took her a moment to muster up the courage, but eventually she forced her gaze down to the stick in her hand.

It was positive.

Closing her eyes, she sank to the floor and leant against the side of the bath. It wasn't supposed to happen like this, if it was ever supposed to happen at all. They were supposed to plan it, her and Connor, together. They were supposed to work out how to balance everything - work, children...life. _Together_.

So many questions were whirling around in Abby's head. What would Connor think? Is this what he wanted, or would he be scared away? Would she have to quit her job at the ARC? Would it even be fair to bring a child into a world, given that she and Connor had seen dangers others could only imagine? What if they were killed in action – surely, it would just be cruel, even selfish, to have a child when there was a very real risk of it losing both parents?

Maybe she was over-thinking this. She felt a strange sense of guilt at not being overjoyed at the news. But kids had never really been part of the plan – not of _her_ plan, anyway. But Connor was involved in this too, and Abby was pretty sure he had his heart set on the whole family life thing, white picket fence and all.

A sharp rapping on the bathroom door made Abby jump in fright.

"Abby?" came Jess' voice from the other side of the door. "You've been in there for a while; is everything okay?"

"Yeah…one second…" Abby called back. She stuffed the test in the bin, burying it deep underneath all the rubbish. As she washed her hands, she took a final glance in the mirror. She steeled herself for the day ahead, pushing everything else to the back of her mind. She would have to deal with it later.

"Doctor," said Lester, striding into the medical wing. "How is he?"

The doctor looked up from the form she was studying and removed her glasses. "Captain Becker? Still weak, I'm afraid."

"No sign of improvement, then?" Lester lowered his voice slightly as he looked over at Becker's bed for the first time. He was sleeping, and Jess was sat next to him, fiddling with a small teddy bear.

"I wouldn't say that," said the doctor. "He did wake up for a short while during the night. He'll be all right; he just needs a bit of time to recuperate fully."

"How much time?" asked Lester. Seeing the doctor's disapproving expression, he rolled his eyes. "I'm hardly going to drag him back to work the moment he wakes up."

The doctor paused for a moment, before turning her attention back to the clipboard in her hand. "As well as a nasty electric shock, he's suffered a head injury. It's relatively minor, but I want to keep him in for a few more nights, just in case. Any subsequent medical leave will depend on how strong he feels."

Lester nodded his thanks to the doctor and left the medical wing. A few days with Willis as Head of Security would be just about bearable, providing there were no major creature incursions. If there _was_ an incursion…they would just have to manage. Matt, Abby and Connor, as experienced as they were, could only do so much on their own. Still, it would have to do.

As he made his way back to his office, Lester resolved to arrange a meeting with the Minister. The new ARC was seriously understaffed, and Lester didn't know how it had managed to reach the point where a single soldier had to face a threat with no backup. If things carried on this way, another case like Stephen Hart's was inevitable.

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><p>It had taken Danny the better part of two days to locate his brother. He wanted to go up to him, to talk to him, but he knew Patrick was…unpredictable, to say the least. So for now, as Patrick knelt by a stream to drink, Danny kept his distance, hiding behind trees and rocks, never taking his eyes off of the figure in front of him.<p>

That is, until he saw the terror bird.

"LOOK OUT!" Danny rushed towards Patrick, but he wasn't quick enough. The bird reached Patrick and struck out at him, knocking him to the ground. As Danny reached the stream, he swung Molly. The stick crashed into the bird's head, once, twice, three times, and with a squawk, the creature fell to the floor.

"Are you alright?" Danny asked Patrick, kneeling beside him.

"What are you doing here?" said Patrick gruffly, standing up.

"Yeah. You're welcome. It's fine, honestly, don't mention it," said Danny.

Patrick glared at him. "What are you doing here?" he repeated.

"You think after all these years, I'd let you just run away?" Danny looked into Patrick's eyes. They were filled with pure contempt, the likes of which Danny had never seen before - not even in the most hardened criminals. "Patrick…"

"Don't tell me you tried to find me," hissed Patrick, taking a step towards Danny. "For years, I was stuck with those…those _things_. I was just a kid. I didn't know where I was. I was counting on you to come and find me, to come and help me, and you never did."

"I tried, Patrick. The police, the ARC – I've told you. Everything I did was to try and find you."

Shaking his head, Patrick turned his back on Danny. "I don't need you," he said as he started to walk away. "Not anymore. Just leave me alone."

"You haven't changed, have you?" Danny called after him. "You're still the same selfish kid you always were."

Patrick stopped walking and turned back to face Danny, fists clenched.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he spat.

"Nothing," said Danny. He had regretted the words as soon as he had thought them, but somehow they had still forced their way out of his mouth. "Come on, Patrick. Just come back home with me. I can help you."

Patrick looked away. For a brief moment, Danny thought he was seriously considering the offer. But Patrick just turned his back again, and walked away.

Danny could tell he wasn't going to get through to his brother any time soon. He hadn't expected to, but that didn't make the disappointment any less biting. Realising he had little other choice, he watched Patrick walk away. After a few minutes, Danny followed him, back to lurking behind trees and skulking in shadows.

* * *

><p>"Connor?"<p>

He looked up from his work to see Abby enter his lab.

"Abby…you probably…I mean, you shouldn't really be in here. It's…" He looked at the expression on her face. The concern in her eyes was almost unnerving. "Are you okay?"

"I was gonna ask you the same thing," she said, smiling weakly. "You've been sort of distracted lately."

"Just busy," replied Connor, indicating the sheets of paper that were strewn all over the surface of the table. "Work."

"What kind of work?"

"Just…research."

"Into the anomalies?"

Connor nodded. "Yeah. I'm trying to find a way to stop them happening. Completely. I mean…that does mean that we'll both be out of a job, but – "

"I think it's great, Connor," said Abby. "It'll make the world a hell of a lot safer."

"Yeah. That's what I thought." He looked at the piles of research notes. Despite Philip's advice and reassurance, Connor hadn't been able to shake the feeling of dread that was lurking in the pit of his stomach. He had stayed awake all night, asking himself what Professor Cutter would do in a crisis like this. His first idea was to attempt to rebuild the model of the anomalies, but that would take far too long. The only logical option – if (and, of course, _only_ if) Philip's idea failed – was to attempt to stop the anomalies completely. He had thought up countless theories and done so many calculations that he could barely remember the square root of four, but he was still nowhere near anything resembling a solution.

"You'll figure it out," said Abby, kissing him on the cheek. He smiled. She had always been able to sense his doubt. He pulled her into an embrace, burying his face in her hair. He wished he could tell her everything, but Philip had been incredibly insistent about keeping quiet. And, while Connor had more than his fair share of reservations about the so-called 'new dawn' that Philip was gunning for, his apprehension could never overpower the trust and admiration he held for the man.

For the first time in a long while, Matt was almost glad to hear the blaring alarm of the ADD. It was his call to arms; a reminder that even with everything else that was happening, it was still business as usual.

* * *

><p>Jess rattled off the coordinates as Matt grabbed a tracker from her desk, slipping comfortably back into the role of team leader. This was a situation he could handle. He was in control again. As he drove to the location of the anomaly – an abandoned warehouse not half an hour away – he found that he was able to push Philip and Helen Cutter to the back of his mind. They weren't completely forgotten – he couldn't afford to let his guard down that much – but they were on the back burner, and he felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He didn't really care that it was only a temporary relief from a huge problem; it was still relief of some sort.<p>

Dealing with the anomaly was a refreshingly simple task. Matt and Abby searched the warehouse for signs of a creature incursion, while Connor locked the anomaly before determining that it led to the Permian period. And that was it. Within an hour, they were heading back to the ARC, having left two soldiers at the warehouse to keep an eye on the anomaly until it closed.

Matt wasn't really one for reminiscing about the "good ol' days", but it was strange to think that those days had only been a few months ago. The days when he could afford to just take each anomaly as it happened; when creatures were the most dangerous threat. There was a formula, a pattern – find the creatures, find the anomaly, and close it. It had been so easy, so simple. Sometimes Matt thought he missed those days more than he missed home.


	3. Same Old Problem

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Primeval, or any of its characters.

**Chapter summary:** Matt doesn't think Connor's work is quite as innocent as Philip would have him believe, and a familiar face makes a reappearance.

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><p>It was becoming less and less unusual for Matt to only see Connor during an alert - the rest of the time, he was hiding himself away in that laboratory. And today was no different - Connor had arrived at work and immediately disappeared into his lab.<p>

"Can I help you, Matt?" came Philip's voice from behind him. Matt turned to face him, but said nothing. "I don't often see you in this part of the ARC," Philip continued.

"Took a wrong turning," replied Matt, flashing his trademark facetious smirk. "Actually, I was wondering what it is exactly that's taking up so much of Connor's time."

"Work," said Philip shortly.

"What kind of work?"

"I'm sorry, but I fail to see how that's relevant. Excuse me," Philip said as he tried to walk towards the lab. Matt moved ever so slightly to block his path.

"Connor is a valued member of the team - of my team - and it seems to me the work he's doing for you is starting to steal his attention from his real job."

"I beg to differ," said Philip. "When I gave Connor this job, he assured me he could handle it. And I believe he can."

"He can't do both jobs forever," said Matt. He wanted to kick himself for letting himself care so much, but the fact remained that if Connor wasn't already guilty by association, he soon would be.

"Again, I disagree," said Philip, slipping past Matt. "You can fire him if you want to, but he'll continue to work for Prospero. Now, if you'll excuse me." Philip turned his back on Matt and walked away, giving him one last hostile glance before entering the lab.

* * *

><p>Philip entered the lab to find Connor engrossed in his work, a look of deep concentration etched on his face. He didn't even seem to notice that the door had opened. Philip cleared his throat, expecting Connor to look up at the sound, but the only response was a slight twitch of Connor's head.<p>

"Connor."

Connor replied with a quiet murmur of acknowledgement, that same expression still unchanging on his face. Philip made his way slowly to look over Connor's shoulder. He was studying a diagram - a device of some sort - scribbling notes and numbers all over various pieces of paper. Philip picked up one of the sheets and studied it, but put it back down almost immediately upon finding he couldn't decipher Connor's scrawl.

"What's all this?" asked Philip eventually.

For the first time, Connor looked up at him. "This is a breakthrough," he said. Philip could swear there was a smile trying to push its way onto Connor's face. A complete turnaround from the edgy bundle of nerves he had spoken to a few days ago.

"Go on."

"It's a way of closing anomalies."

"We already have a way of closing anomalies, Connor," said Philip, his disappointment at the anticlimax ill-disguised.

"No," Connor replied, "we have a way of locking anomalies. This could close them completely." He snapped his fingers. "Just like that."

Philip cocked an eyebrow, his interest piqued again.

"I managed to get a pretty good look at the device Helen Cutter was using - the one me and Abby used to get back," Connor continued. The boyish glee in his voice reminded Philip of the first time they had met. "I think I've figured out how it works. I'll need a few more days but I reckon I could build a prototype. A working prototype, hopefully."

Philip smiled. The boy was certainly clever. Hiring him to work for Prospero was definitely a good move.

"And…this device can open anomalies as well?" asked Philip.

"Well, yeah…but beyond getting the creatures back home, we wouldn't need to."

The creatures hadn't even crossed his mind, but Philip nodded anyway. Right now, telling Connor what he wanted to hear was probably the best option. Besides, after finding out that Connor had told Matt about his work for Prospero, Philip was beginning to think the less Connor knew, the better.

"This is good work you're doing, Connor," said Philip. He glanced at the diagram again. "Were you planning on telling the rest of the team?"

Connor nodded. "If that's okay."

"Of course," replied Philip, smiling. He was well aware that the more he told Connor to keep to himself, the more the boy would start to question him. "Although, if I were you, I'd wait until you're sure the device will work before you raise their hopes."

"Yeah. Yeah, that's a good idea." Connor gestured to the sheets of paper strewn across the desk. "I should probably get on with it, then. It's not gonna build itself!"

"In that case, I'll leave you to it," Philip said, making his way out of the lab. The corridor outside was empty, save for a couple of botanists at the far end. Matt had obviously gone to skulk elsewhere. Just as well. A man like Matt could hide a lot behind an irreverent smile and a flippant remark, and Philip suspected he knew much more than he was letting on.

* * *

><p>The past few days, compared to the weeks that had preceded them, had been mundane - or as mundane as things get when you chase dinosaurs for a living. Jess was grateful for the chance to somewhat wind down after the chaos of everything involving Emily and Ethan, and with the news that Becker was well enough to go home, things were certainly looking up.<p>

When she entered the locker room, she was met by the unusual sight of Becker wearing civilian clothes - something she had only seen a couple of times before.

"Morning!" she said brightly as she opened her locker.

"Morning," Becker replied, something resembling a smile flickering on his lips. Jess rooted in her locker. She had completely forgotten what she was looking for. Feeling Becker's eyes on her, she avoided his gaze.

"I, erm…I appreciate the gift," he said after a while. She turned to see he was holding the stuffed bear that she had left by his bedside. "I assume it was from you," he added as he fiddled with the stuffed hot water bottle that the bear was clutching.

Jess nodded. "Yeah. I just thought it was cute." She smiled and looked away. The sight of Becker holding that bear was making her go weak at the knees. That half-smile he was wearing wasn't helping much, either. She closed her locker, giving up on whatever it was she had been looking for.

"So, they're letting you go home?" she said, hoping the change of subject didn't sound quite as forced and stupid to Becker as it did in Jess' own head.

"Yeah," said Becker, putting the bear in his locker and closing it. "They want me to take medical leave. Again."

"But you don't want to."

Becker shook his head and leant back against the lockers. He stared straight ahead, his expression impassive. "With everything that's happening, I just feel I need to be on the front line."

"But it's all over now," said Jess. "Things are back to normal, now Emily and Ethan are gone." She saw Becker's head move slightly - a nod, maybe. "It's a shame Danny had to go too, though," she added as an afterthought.

Becker's head turned sharply to look at her. "Danny's gone?"

"Oh…." Jess felt like kicking herself. Bringing up Danny's departure was definitely not the way to make Becker feel better, and doing it so matter-of-factly, as if it was the most normal thing in the universe…_smart move there, Jessica_. "I thought someone had already told you…" she said quietly.

"Why has he gone?" He didn't look at her as he spoke, and his voice was low and hoarse.

"Eth- I mean, Patrick went through an anomaly. Danny went after him." Becker did nothing to show her he had even heard her answer. "I'm sorry…" she said, her voice still quiet.

He turned to her. His expression was grim but there was a softness in his eyes. "You don't have to apologise," he said. "It's not like it's your fault."

"It's not your fault, either," she said, no doubt in her mind that that was what he was thinking.

"If I had just shot him when I had the chance - " Becker was cut off by the piercing siren of the ADD. Jess glanced out of the door to see a flashing red light intermittently illuminating the corridor.

"I should go," said Jess. Becker nodded. As she reached the door, she turned back to face him. Seeing the blank look on his face, an uncharacteristic impatience overtook her, just for a moment. "I don't know how many more times I have to tell you, Becker," she said, her voice firm but compassionate. "It's not your fault."

Without waiting for a reply, she left. As she walked down the corridor, she could feel his eyes following her, a smile playing on her lips as she resisted the urge to look back at him.

* * *

><p>"No sign of a creat - oh. Scratch that, we've got an incursion." Connor's voice rang through Abby's earpiece.<p>

"Where?" she asked.

"Kitchen," came the reply. Abby wove her way through the restaurant tables - most of which had been overturned in the panic - and into the kitchen. She found Connor crouched next to the locked anomaly, beholding the creature before him with awe. It was a greenish-brown colour with a long tail, and judging by its size, it was only a few weeks old. It had managed to topple over a bowl of food and was poking its beak-like mouth around in the mess on the floor.

"Kinda cute, really, isn't he?" said Connor quietly as Abby crouched next to him.

"Kind of…." Abby smiled slightly as the creature wandered over to her and sampled the leg of her jeans. Apparently not impressed by the taste of denim, it turned its attention back to the food on the kitchen floor.

"Agilisaurus," said Connor. "From mid-Jurassic Asia."

"Connor…" started Abby. It was a few seconds before she continued. "Later on, we need to talk."

Connor looked away from the creature and turned to Abby. "Sure. About what?"

The sound of Matt's unnecessarily noisy entrance to the kitchen cut off Abby's response and startled the little dinosaur. It made a weird hoarse screeching sound and ran to a far corner of the kitchen, a rather large sprig of coriander hanging from its mouth.

"Everywhere else is clear," said Matt, as Abby and Connor stood up and turned to face him. "No other creatures." He looked towards the dinosaur, which had ventured back over to the pile of food on the floor. "Herbivore?"

Connor nodded. "Completely not dangerous."

"Good," said Matt. "Right, let's get him home."

* * *

><p>Getting the baby dinosaur back through the anomaly had been harder than Connor had anticipated. Their first plan - to open the anomaly and usher the creature through - had proved impossible. As a result of reopening the anomaly, they had ended up with four other baby dinosaurs running around the kitchen, resulting in chaos not unlike the Great Dodo Chase of 2006.<p>

Eventually, however, they had managed to get all the creatures back through the anomaly, albeit with rather a lot of damage to the restaurant's kitchen. After the anomaly had been re-sealed, Matt had gone outside to try and quell the rumours of prehistoric portals and dinosaurs, leaving Connor and Abby stationed inside to keep an eye on the anomaly.

"What was it you wanted to talk about?" asked Connor.

Visibly nervous, Abby took a deep breath. "Yeah…" she said breathlessly. She paused for a few seconds, seemingly looking everywhere but at Connor. "Actually, maybe we should do this at home."

"Do what?" asked Connor, dreading the answer. "Abby…if…" He struggled to get the words out. "If you want some space…that's fine…I guess…I mean…"

"No, no," said Abby. "It's not that."

A huge weight lifted off Connor's shoulders. "What is it, then?" he asked.

"I…I'm pregnant, Connor."

Connor felt his mouth drop open. "You're…as in, with a baby?"

Abby nodded.

"Oh my God. Oh, wow. That's…that's amazing." Seeing the look on Abby's face, Connor's excitement waned a little. "You…you don't think it's amazing, do you?" he said, failing to hide the disappointment in his voice.

Abby sighed. "I don't know what to think," she said quietly. "I don't know…"

Connor moved towards her and pulled her close. "We'll work it out together," he said. "I promise."

* * *

><p>"Quiet, isn't it?" said Lester, as Philip examined the main operations room. It was completely empty, except for Jess, who was engrossed in her work at the ADD. Most of the guards had been sent with Matt, Abby and Connor to deal with the anomaly - or more specifically, to deal with the creatures.<p>

"I suppose so," said Philip. Truth be told, he quite liked the ARC when it was this quiet. Just a few scientists, getting on with their research - doing what the Anomaly Research Centre was established to do. _Speaking of research…_

"Excuse me, James," said Philip. "I have some work to do." Lester nodded and Philip walked away, towards his Prospero lab. Maybe now would be a good time to try to make some sense of Connor's scribbles.

The sight of the lab door swinging shut after someone entered made Philip stop in his tracks. Connor must have forgotten to lock the door properly…but still, everyone knew that lab was private. Ready to fire whoever it was that was prying, he made his way towards the lab. Upon entering the lab, he saw that the woman had no wristband. She wasn't an ARC employee.

Philip smiled. "Helen Cutter, I presume? I was wondering when we would finally meet."


	4. The Place I Call Home

**Chapter summary:** Danny and Patrick have a long-overdue brotherly chat. An anomaly leads to a reunion, and Helen is left wondering exactly what's going on in Philip's head.

**Author's notes: **Thanks for all the reviews so far! I really do appreciate them, and I love hearing what you think about the story. Unfortunately, I'm kind of busy with life/school/exams at the moment, so the next few chapters might take a while to be uploaded - just a heads up. I'm not abandoning the story, though!

And the new series has started on Watch! Just as a quick note - I think I've said it before, but it probably bears repeating: this story will not contain any spoilers for series five. Anything that does happen to be similar or even the same is just a coincidence, as I've had the whole of this story planned out for a while now. So...yeah, you can read it safe in the knowledge that you won't be spoiled if you haven't seen series five yet. =D

* * *

><p>As Danny trudged up the last few feet of the hill, he couldn't help but think it had been far too easy to track Patrick over the last few days. After all, Patrick had had so many chances to give Danny the slip - but he had taken none of them. No running off while Danny slept. Hanging back, walking slowly. It was as if he was taking car not to make the distance between them too great.<p>

At the peak of the hill, Patrick was sitting down, his back to Danny. He was looking at something below.

"I told you," Patrick said without turning around, "we're just animals. We're just apes."

Danny walked slowly towards Patrick and sat down next to him. At the foot of the hill was a tribe of hominids. They were the same as the ones he had first encountered over a year ago, and the whole scene gave Danny an eerie sense of déjà vu.

"What the hell happened to you, Patrick?" asked Danny after a moment of watching the hominids in a strangely peaceful silence. He kept his voice quiet and soft, as though raising it would rouse some sort of…_monster_…within his brother.

"You were never there."

"For the last time Patrick, I tried! Even after ten years, when all logic told me you were dead, I kept looking."

Patrick shook his head. "I don't mean that." His voice was low and steady. "Just always. You were never there for me."

"What?"

"You never cared about anyone but yourself. And you have the nerve to call _me_ selfish."

"That's not true. I always cared about you."

Patrick's expression grew even more bitter – something Danny had already written off as impossible. "When I was seven, my dog died. I knew he was sick and I begged you to take him to the vet but you were more concerned about getting it on with Mary-Ann Cooper."

"That's what this is all about? Your dog?" Danny ignored the pang of guilt he felt at the memory of his arrogant sixteen year old self.

"When I was nine," Patrick continued, "and those boys at school were giving me a hard time, I asked you for advice. I didn't ask Mum or Dad or any of my teachers, I asked you. Do you remember what you said to me?"

For the first time, Patrick turned to look at Danny. Danny looked away. He had pushed it to the back of his mind, to the bottom of a dusty pile of memories that he'd give anything to forget. But hearing Patrick talk about it brought every minute action and every single word flooding back.

"You told me to grow a spine and stop bugging you," Patrick spat. "When I was thirteen - "

"Okay, okay, you've made your point. I was a horrible brother."

"I think the saddest part is that even after all that, I still looked up to you." Danny could have sworn he saw tears in Patrick's eyes, but Patrick turned away, his gaze returning to the hominids. "I always hoped that one day you'd actually be the big brother you were supposed to be."

Danny could practically feel his heart being ripped to pieces. He was ashamed to admit it even to himself, but everything Patrick was saying was true. He hadn't just been a horrible brother to Patrick - he hadn't been any kind of brother at all.

"I…was jealous," said Danny. He knew it was a pathetic reason, if it was even worthy of being called a reason.

"Jealous? Of what?"

"You were just better than me. At everything. You got better grades than me. You were better at sports than me. Mum and Dad were always comparing us, and you were always the one that came up smelling of roses."

"Jealous of what?" repeated Patrick, still not looking at Danny. "All I ever got from Mum and Dad was pressure. Mum was always pushing me towards medical school. Dad was adamant that I'd be an Olympic swimmer. Neither of them ever gave a damn about what I wanted."

"And what did you want?"

"I wanted to get out of there. So I did."

"What?"

"The gateway didn't close straight after I went through. It stayed open for hours. I sat there, staring at it...waiting. I thought about going back through, but I just didn't."

"Wait, you…you left on purpose? Why?"

Patrick shrugged. "I saw the opportunity to leave, so I took it. I wanted to get away. From you, from Mum and Dad. From school. I'd had enough. I wanted to be on my own. I wanted to see if you'd try to find me." He paused. "As usual, you didn't come through for me."

Danny tried, with great effort, to keep his voice steady. "You're right. I was selfish. But so were you. Just leaving like that, without thinking about how it would affect Mum and Dad. How it would affect me. That was - "

"I was happier on my own."

"Well, I suppose that's all that matters," said Danny bitterly. He felt a powerful urge to grab Patrick by the shoulders and shake some sense into him, to try and make him realise that they were both at fault here. "Okay, so you had a crap brother and parents with high expectations. That hardly justifies…murder." The word was hard to say, and even harder to believe. Patrick - his little brother - was a killer.

Patrick didn't say anything, his expression still the stony resentment that he had been wearing almost exclusively since they had been reunited. Danny wondered what Patrick was hiding behind that mask - regret? Shame? Was he even capable of feeling any kind of remorse, or was it just all hatred and rage? Without a sound, Patrick stood up and started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Danny called after him.

Patrick stopped and turned to face Danny. "Anywhere. I don't know. I just want to be on my own." His voice was clear and unmistakeable, but unnervingly quiet.

"Sorry, Patrick. But that's not happening. I'm staying with you."

"Go home."

"I can't, can I? Not until another anomaly opens up."

Patrick replied only by turning his back and walking away. It was far from an invitation, but it wasn't an outright rejection of Danny's company either. Taking that as a good sign - a slight improvement, at least - Danny followed his brother, preparing himself for hours or even days of torturous silence.

* * *

><p>The volume of the crowd's chatter had been her first warning that something was wrong. There had been a lull in the noise, a hushed awe, and then everything had erupted. Now, people were shouting and panicking; some were running away from it and others dared to venture towards it, as far as the policemen would let them.<p>

Only Emily stood still, in the middle of the commotion, a strange concoction of emotions brewing up inside her. That golden light, so bright, so familiar, just shining and…flickering? It had been months since Emily had last seen a gateway, but the unforgettable image was still etched in her mind - and it definitely wasn't supposed to be flickering.

The ground started shaking, and the panic escalated. Policemen dragged each other protectively away from the light, trying and failing to subdue the crowd. There was a strange rumbling sound, low at first, getting louder and louder. The light kept flickering on and off and on again. The noise was almost deafening.

_Something's coming._

* * *

><p>"This might be a difficult one to deal with," said Connor as Matt skidded the SUV to a halt next to the train track. Matt took in the sight - an anomaly smack bang in the centre of the rails, half a passenger train on each side. 'Difficult to deal with' was definitely an understatement.<p>

"Why is it flickering?" asked Sergeant Willis.

"The electricity from the tracks must be interfering with it," replied Connor.

"Find out where it leads to," said Matt. "Don't lock it yet; we need to get the rest of that train back."

He surveyed his surroundings for signs of a creature incursion. There didn't seem to be any, but open spaces weren't the best places to deal with anomalies.

"Matt."

A creature may have already come through and run off into the wilderness. If that was the case, they'd have to find it and return it. Then again, if a creature /had/ come through, the chassis of the train would surely have been ripped to shreds, and considering it was mostly still in tact -

"Matt."

How the hell they were going to explain this to the passengers of the train - if they were even still alive - Matt didn't have a clue. Cover stories in cases like this were unlikely to be accepted, so the most logical course of action would be to break out the Official Secrets Act and hope for the -

"Matt!"

"What is it, Connor?" said Matt, a little more snappily than he had intended. He followed Connor's gaze towards the anomaly, where there stood two figures, one supporting the other's weight.

"Emily…" Finding that her name caught in his throat, Matt coughed loudly and deliberately. Slowly, he started making his way towards her. As he reached her, he saw a sad smile grace her features.

"It's been far too long," she said, the sorrow in her tone perfectly matching her expression.

Matt frowned slightly. "Barely a week."

Emily's smile faded. She glanced back at the anomaly. "I suppose...time is complicated."

The man leaning on Emily coughed, reminding Matt that they had a situation on their hands right now. Personal reunions would have to wait.

"What happened?" he asked, surprised at how easily he slipped back into professional mode. He signalled for a soldier to come and take the man away.

The split second of silence before Emily answered would probably have been unnoticeable to most, but to Matt it seemed like an eternity.

"The gateway opened, and then the train came charging through. The police won't let anybody near it, but we managed to slip through."

Matt nodded. "How many people on the other side?"

"I counted thirteen, including Carl."

"Carl?"

"The driver." She nodded towards the man she had helped through the anomaly, who was now talking to Abby. "Nobody seems to be too badly hurt."

_That's something, at least_, thought Matt. "Right," he said, "let's get them back through."

* * *

><p>Matt and Emily had shared the task of helping people back through, each fielding questions from the dazed civilians and bewildered Victorian policemen, but never actually speaking a word between themselves. As they helped the twelfth and final passenger back through, they locked eyes for the briefest of moments, and Matt found himself wondering what Emily had meant by 'far too long'. Weeks? Months? She had changed, he could tell, but only subtly. She couldn't have been away for years. She seemed too familiar for that.<p>

Handing the passenger over to Abby, Connor, and the team of medics who had just arrived on the scene, he turned to Emily.

"How long?" he asked.

"Ten months," she replied, not quite meeting his gaze. She glanced at the anomaly. "I can't stay. I have to go back."

"Any tips on getting the train back before you go?"

Emily smiled - a real, genuine smile. "It's not really my area of expertise," she said.

"Matt! Emily!" Connor's shouts seemed distant, but his voice was urgent enough to snap Matt and Emily back to the gravity of reality. Their heads turned in unison to look at Connor. He was standing a few feet away from the anomaly, which was still flickering. "I think it's about to close," he called.

Matt barely had time to process Connor's words before the anomaly flickered for a final time. In a split second, the anomaly was sucked into itself, disappearing, tearing the chassis of the train in half. Matt turned his gaze to Emily, who was still staring at that same spot, the smile gone from her face.

* * *

><p>It had been a long day for Abby, more tiring than usual, so she was grateful to get back to Jess' flat and flop down onto the sofa. She sighed, eyes closed, and felt Connor sit down next to her. An uneasy silence settled over them, the same kind of silence that had settled over yesterday's dinner, and then again when she and Connor were lying in bed that night.<p>

Jess muttered something about having errands to run, and Abby opened her eyes as she heard the front door open and then click shut. She turned to look at Connor, who gave her a nervous smile.

"As long as we've got the place to ourselves, we should probably...you know. Talk." He paused. "About the - "

"Yeah," said Abby. She sat up straight. "So...what do you think?"

Connor's smile relaxed. "You know what I think, Abby. The question is, what do _you _think?" He scooted closer to her and took her hand.

Abby looked down, staring at their interlaced fingers. "I...I've never really thought about having kids," she said honestly. "But...I've been thinking about it. In fact, I've thought about practically nothing else lately. And I want to have a family. With you. Eventually. It's just all happening a bit fast."

"Yeah...it is all quite fast, isn't it? And honestly, the timing could _not_ have been worse. But just imagine how you'll feel nine months down the line, when you hold little Connor Junior for the first time."

Abby felt a small smile creep onto her face at the thought. She had made peace with most of her doubts - sure, working at the ARC was dangerous, but every member of the team knew what they were doing. They were professionals, and that meant safe hands. Besides, if she needed to, she could always take a step back from the front line. Having a career and having a family didn't have to be mutually exclusive.

"Do you think we can do this?" she asked.

Connor smiled again. "Yeah. I really think we can."

Instinctively, Abby placed a hand on her stomach. She smiled.

"Hey, Connor? We're gonna have a baby." She looked him in the eye, almost wanting to laugh at the excited expression he was wearing. There was a twinkle in his eye and a huge grin on his face. "Oh," she added, still smiling as the afterthought occurred to her. "We are _not _naming it Connor Junior."

* * *

><p>Helen clutched the piece of paper in her hand and pushed the front door of the house open. It creaked on its hinges, revealing a dark hallway. She stepped inside and checked the piece of paper again, making sure she had the right address. Burton had seemed like a high-class man. Why would he want to meet in a place like this, with its boarded-up windows and corners filled with dust and cobwebs? More importantly, why did Burton want to meet up with her at all?<p>

At their first meeting, as Burton had ushered Helen out of a back door, he had told her only three things. One, the year was 2011 - twelve years after she had visited the Forest of Dean. Two, she could not, under any circumstances, be seen by anyone else. And three, she was important.

She closed the front door behind her and let go of the scrap of paper. It fluttered to the floor. She made her way through another door - the only one in the hallway that wasn't completely closed - into what presumably would have been the house's living room. A man was standing there, his back to the door, staring into the empty fireplace.

"How long have you been travelling through the anomalies, Helen?" said Burton, turning to face her.

Helen didn't answer straight away. Anomalies. That was what they called them. "Two years," she said eventually. "How do you know who I am?"

"You're rather infamous around the ARC," said Burton simply.

Deciding to ignore the fact that that wasn't really an answer, Helen continued. "And why did you want to meet me? Here, of all places?"

"We can't be seen," replied Burton. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small brown envelope. "Five thousand pounds. Cash. All I ask in return is your full cooperation."

Helen eyed the envelope. Until she found another anomaly, she was stuck here. She would need money. But Burton wasn't exactly emanating trustworthiness.

"Cooperation with what?" she asked.

"I just have a few questions that need answering. As, I'm sure, do you." He paused. "I can tell you about the anomalies. How to find them."

Helen hesitated. Five thousand pounds alone wouldn't have been nearly enough to sway her, but five thousand pounds plus the answers she had been searching for for two years? It was tempting, to say the least.

"What questions?" asked Helen eventually.

"Let's start with how you found out about the ARC."

"Your team turned up at the site of the anomaly I came through. The one in the abandoned warehouse. I wanted to know how they knew so much, so I followed them back to the...ARC."

"And that's why you broke into the ARC, I suppose? To find answers."

Helen nodded. "Your security leaves a lot to be desired." She paused. "What did you mean when you said I was important?"

"One man's future is another man's past," said Burton. Before Helen could ask him what he meant by that, he continued. "What did you see in the lab?"

"Drawings. Diagrams. Nothing that made much sense."

Burton gave a barely perceivable nod. "I can help with that. If you like."

"But you want something in return," said Helen, wondering what she could possibly have that would be useful to Burton.

"Yes," replied Burton. "There are things I will need your help with. Not now; in the future." He held the envelope up. "You need this, Helen. You need the answers."

She eyed the envelope. He was right. She needed the money, but that was only her most basic concern. What she really needed was knowledge - something Burton clearly possessed. She nodded.

Burton smiled, and held out the envelope. Hesitantly, she took it from him.

"There's a motel a few streets away. Book a room there under the name Julia Dixon."

"Why?"

"So I can find you. We'll talk soon." Without another word, Burton walked out of the room, leaving Helen stood alone amidst all the dust. As she heard the front door close, she couldn't help but replay Burton's words in her mind: _one man's past is another man's future._


End file.
